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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. kick — in football
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. object — a thing
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spring — a coil
  11. object — an aim
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — the season
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — of water
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com